nflJanuary 24, 2018 8:25am ESTJanuary 24, 2018 8:16am ESTSporting News’ NFL All-Pro Team, voted upon annually by the league's head coaches, recognizes which players stood out among other stars at their positions in a given season.

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They're the best of the best, because the coaches who try to beat them say so.

Sporting News’ NFL All-Pro Team, voted upon annually by the league's head coaches, recognizes which players stood out among other stars at their positions in a given season. Voting for our 2017 roster took place during the last month of the regular season.

Here are the coaches' choices for the best NFL players at each position in 2017.

QB: Tom Brady, Patriots

Brady didn't set any career highs with his stats in 2017, but a 40-year-old quarterback who can manage a 32-8 TD-INT ratio and a 102.8 rating for a season certainly qualifies as All-Pro-worthy. The Patriots quarterback, who led the NFL in passing yards for 2017, somehow remains as lethal as ever.

RB: Todd Gurley, Rams

Maybe Gurley would have been the NFL's leading rusher in 2017 had he played in the Rams' meaningless season finale, but it doesn't matter. With more votes for Gurley than any other running back, the league's coaches recognized the third-year rusher as the best in football. He set career highs in rushing yards (1,305) and rushing touchdowns (13) this season, plus 788 more yards and six more scores in the passing game.

RB: Le'Veon Bell, Steelers

As great as Bell has been during his five-year career, he set new standards for himself in 2017. The Steelers running back reached new career highs in rushing touchdowns (9) and catches (85) while maintaining his status as one of the NFL's best duel-threat running backs. His 11 total touchdowns also tied a career high.

WR: Julio Jones, Falcons

Some say Jones had a down year in 2017, yet the Falcons' star still finished second in the NFL with 1,444 receiving yards on 88 catches. The coaches who have to game plan against Jones still recognize him as the toughest cover in the league.

WR: Antonio Brown, Steelers

Brown led the NFL with 1,533 receiving yards in 2017, and that's still 300 yards away from his career high (2015), thanks in part to a calf injury that ended his regular season early. There's a good chance the Steelers' star would have had his best statistical season if not for that injury, which is saying a lot.

TE: Travis Kelce, Chiefs

Kelce barely edged the Eagles' Zach Ertz and the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski in votes for All-Pro tight end, but he's a worthy selection. The Chiefs tight end set a new career high with eight touchdown receptions, and he ranked second among tight ends with his 1,038 receiving yards, behind only Gronk.

OT: Trent Williams, Redskins

Despite a knee injury that limited Williams to 10 games in 2017, coaches still recognized him as the league's top vote-getting tackle. Williams in 2018 will be heading into his ninth season as the Redskins' stud left tackle.

OT: Taylor Lewan, Titans

Having just completed his fourth season, Lewan has become the player the Titans hoped they were getting when they made him a first-round draft pick in 2014. He started all 16 games at left tackle in 2017 and was key to Tennessee reaching the divisional round of the playoffs.

G: Zack Martin, Cowboys

Martin has played just four seasons, and he's already approaching legendary status — he hasn't missed a single start at right guard in those four years with the Cowboys. Martin easily was the top vote-getting guard in SN's All-Pro voting.

G: David DeCastro, Steelers

C: Alex Mack, Falcons

Mack dominated the voting for All-Pro center in 2017. In his second year with the Falcons after seven seasons with the Browns, Mack again started all 16 games and spearheaded Atlanta's offensive line. Only once (2014) during his nine-year NFL career has Mack failed to start all 16 games.

DE: Everson Griffen, Vikings

The best player on one of the NFL's best defensive fronts, Griffen had the best season of his eight-year career in 2017. The Vikings defensive end recorded 13 sacks and forced three fumbles, both career-high marks.

DE: Cameron Jordan, Saints

Jordan tied Griffen with 13 sacks in 2017, the fourth most in the NFL, and like Griffen, the Saints defensive end also had the best season of his career. Those 13 sacks made for a new career high, and Jordan recorded his first career pick-six against the Lions.

DT: Aaron Donald, Rams

The top vote-getting defensive tackle, Donald added another dominant season to what already has become a brilliant career in just four years. The Rams' man in the middle recorded 11 sacks, which tied his career high, and forced five fumbles, which set a new career high.

DT: Fletcher Cox, Eagles

Cox is Philadelphia's best defender on a unit that carried the Eagles through the playoffs and into Super Bowl 52. He played just 14 games in the 2017 regular season and did not set any new career highs stat-wise, but his impact was recognized by the opposing head coaches who voted for him.

LB: Chandler Jones, Cardinals

Talk about a career year. Jones led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2017, easily his most in a single season, and recorded 52 solo tackles, also a career high. The move from defensive end to pass-rushing linebacker when Jones arrived in Arizona two years ago worked. New Cardinals coach Steve Wilkes has a special player on his hands regardless of scheme.

LB: Luke Kuechly, Panthers

Kueckly missed one game this season, which is part of the reason why he didn't record any new career-high stats in 2017. But the Panthers' defensive star remains one of the best middle linebackers in the game, if not the best.

LB: Bobby Wagner, Seahawks

Considering the injuries on defense the Seahawks had to deal with in 2017, Wagner is a big reason Seattle even had a chance to make the playoffs. He set a new career high with 97 solo tackles, adding 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, six passes defended and two interceptions.

CB: Jalen Ramsey, Jaguars

Ramsey followed his brilliant rookie year with an even better season in 2017. The Jaguars' cover man recorded four interceptions and 17 passes defended on the rare occasions teams threw in his direction. That doesn't include Ramsey's pick to seal Jacksonville's wild-card playoff win over Buffalo.

CB: Xavier Rhodes, Vikings

Florida State completes the cornerback sweep on SN's 2017 All-Pro Team. Rhodes turned in the best season of his five-year career and helped the Vikings become the NFL's No. 1-ranked defense in points and yards allowed.

S: Earl Thomas, Seahawks

After an injury cut his 2016 season short, Thomas had a strong case as comeback player of the year for 2017 in addition to his All-Pro selection. The Seahawks' speedy safety did his thing again this season with two picks (one for a touchdown), a forced fumble and 88 total tackles.

K: Greg Zuerlein, Rams

"Greg the Leg" was a busy player for the Rams before an injury cut his season short by two games. Zuerlein had his best statistical season yet, nailing a career-high 38 of his 40 field-goal attempts for a 95 percent success rate in Year 6 with the franchise.

KR: Pharoh Cooper, Rams

Cooper enjoyed a breakout season as a return specialist in his second year in the NFL. The Rams' speedster led the league with an average of 27.4 yards per kick return, and he scored a touchdown on a 103-yarder, tied for the second-longest in the league in 2017. As for punt returns, only one player averaged more yards per return than Cooper, and that player is SN's All-Pro punt returner.

PR: Jamal Agnew, Lions

Considering Agnew was the only rookie voted to SN's 2017 All-Pro Team, it's safe to say the Lions found themselves a star return man in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old easily led the league in average yards per punt return (15.4), punt return yards (447) and punt return touchdowns (2). His 88-yard return for a score against the Giants was the longest in the NFL all season.

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